Sony NW-A1000/1200/3000 Port Index

Introduction

This series of DAPs shares the same microprocessor as the iAudio X5/M5 series players. The firmware appears to be encrypted as there are no visible strings after the initial "NWA3000" and IDA-Pro doesn't seem to know what to do with it.

Port Status

There is no code written for this device. Things that need to be done are: find a way to recover from a bad flash and understanding the firmware files. Perhaps someone with a A1000/1200 could try booting with the drive removed to see what happens (the A3000 requires de-soldering 4 pins just to get at the HDD). I found a report that said holding the volume-up button while connecting to a PC would execute a recovery mode but haven't been able to confirm this.

USB Modes

When the unit is plugged in from the Off state, the bootloader skips the "Walkman" logo and tries to make a USB connection. It could be that this is a USB boot mode that could be used to recover from a bad firmware flash.

Firmware Update

Firmware updates are performed by placing a NW_AX000.bin file in the root directory and restarting the player. For the v3 update, an extra file called NW_A3000.UPG is placed in the root as well. You can extract the files from the installer executables with common archive programs (7zip, WinRAR, etc).